Madame Bovary

Fourth Examination: Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary was a very interesting character to read. Although I don’t really sympathize her that much, I think her death was a bit cruel. As I was reading the book, I really hoped that she would get a happy ending just like the other books I have read in this class. But sad to say because of her fantasies and desires, she died poor and she let her family die in poverty.

The root of Emma’s fantasies are the “bad” books she read when she was at the convent. The books’ silly notions of love and life, together with the fact that she is from the country, made her absorb all the ridiculous ideas into her head. If she had read the books that I’ve read in the class, she might be well off. The books that she should read are The Odyssey, The Ramayana, The Arabian Nights, Inferno and Don Quixote. Although some of these books are not really recommended for her, all of these have lessons that she could learn from and maybe improve her look on life.

Emma should start with The Odyssey. Although The Odyssey being a literature based on adventure, it might even fuel her desires more. She would fantasize her ideal man to be like Odysseus, dashing, brave, and handsome. And would compare him to her future partner, say Charles. But by comparing them, Emma might not fall in love and marry Charles, which is a good thing for them both. Odysseus’ wife, Penelope is not much of a good role model for Emma either. But the most important thing she could learn from The Odyssey is not to take up lovers. The mass murder of Penelope’s suitors would scare Emma and that she would think that Charles would be capable of such feats (which is highly unlikely). All in all, this novel is not really a recommended book for Emma because of the heroic and unrealistic theme.

The next book is The Ramayana and it is very much like The Odyssey. Destiny, romance, action, and magic fill every page of this book. For a “normal” reader all of these elements would be very...